This month we celebrate the seven year anniversary of Neymar's debut in professional football for Santos FC, which happened when he was just 17. Since then Neymar has collected titles, individuals awards, and many other achievements the likes of which few could have imagined he would achieve. He is one of the kings of international football, and plays with players idolized all over the world.
Today, Alex Morgan stands as one of the most established players on the USWNT, but not too long ago she was just another talent trying to get into the national team. She’s come a long way since then, and we’ve been with her most of the way. Below, you’ll see our video, “18 Seconds of Alex Morgan,” as well as a small anthology of articles concerning our favorite lefty from Diamond Bar.
If James Rodriguez is a Golden Boy, then he plays like one as well. We have all heard of a Golden Boy, or Golden Girl, who always did or said the right thing, and more so than that, always did the exceptional thing exceptionally well.
Looking through the honors of James’ on-field career, we see that same ability. He has been voted young player of the year in Argentina, player of the year in France, won the golden boot at the World Cup, and scored FIFA’s goal of the year.
The18 loves to bring the most exciting players on the planet to our audience, and Paul Pogba is nothing if not one of them. We have been following him for quite some time, as he transitions from a young player looking to establish himself to one of the best XI players in the world. Check out our little homage, 18 Seconds of Pogba:
The second black player to represent England at any level and the first British player to transfer to Real Madrid, Laurie Cunningham was a footballing pioneer and a legend of his own time. His premature death at 33 years of age cut short the career of a player who “was as good as Cristiano Ronaldo” according to Spanish manager, and former Real teammate, Vincente del Bosque.
Sometimes we see freak cases where goalkeepers score goals, whether it be from a kick within the box that ends up in the opposite net or a last minute set piece. Rarely do you see a goalkeeper taking a free kick or a penalty kick. Even rarer do you see a keeper with over 100 goals. Because there’s only one. The man, the myth, the legend, Rogerio Ceni.
At 24, Nir Bitton already stars for Glasgow giants Celtic in Scotland and for the Israeli national team. But his best is most certainly ahead of him. Despite recently signing a five-year contract extension to remain with Celtic through 2020, Bitton is reportedly drawing interest from a number of English Premier League clubs, including Sunderland. They will have to pay big for his services: Celtic have reportedly priced him at £10 million.
Andrés Guardado simply will not stop. He’s the epitome of hard work, strength of character and desire for all of the Americas.
A born fighter, Guardado does not keep his battles solely on the field. He inspires others to work towards the betterment of themselves and the world around them.
He tackles the battle against breast cancer, pushing for global awareness and activisim, in the same way he'd fly into a tackle for El Tri.
July 14, 2012 marked the first-team debut of a 13-year-old kid from Drammen, Norway. Since then, the world has been witness to the record-breaking career of one of soccer’s fastest rising stars: Martin Ødegaard.
As the sun sets on New York’s Hofstra Stadium, 11,000 fans will bear witness to a testimonial that deserves a global audience. Raúl González Blanco, after a career approaching 1,0000 professional appearances and 400 goals, will solemnly say goodbye to the game he left an indelible mark upon.
The last remnants of sunlight streaking across the FieldTurf, Raúl will bid adieu from Long Island, somehow fading away into one of the most densely populated regions in the United States.